It was located directly across from the convention center at The Sugar Mill and Mississippi Heritage Park.Photo: Courtesy of Mark Stephen Experiential Agency
The 2022 festival, which took place June 30-July 3 in New Orleans and on EssenceFestival.com, featured nightly concerts by performers including Janet Jackson, Nicki Minaj, New Edition, and Patti Labelle at Caesars Superdome; empowerment programming with guests such as Vice President Kamala Harris and Stacey Abrams at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center; and other activations in venues across New Orleans, all under the theme of “It’s the Black Joy for Me!”
“It’s about rejoicing in and presenting all things that bring happiness to our audience,” said Carmen Jones, senior experiential director at ESSENCE, on the event’s theme. “It’s about the power and freedom to choose life's pleasures and continue to ‘live loud,’ which is essential given the societal challenges they continue to face and fight against daily. Every interactive experience, program, stage conversation, and performance were strategically designed to uplift and celebrate the audience through education, personal connection, and entertainment.”
Although the in-person experience only spanned one weekend (instead of the usual two), the festival did expand its footprint with new daytime experiences, including a tech summit, a food festival called Essence Eats Food and Wine Festival, a film festival, a men’s experience, and more. Returning experiences included the ESSENCE Beauty Carnival. Produced by the Mark Stephen Experiential Agency, the activation that’s dedicated to all things beauty grew to take over more than two halls within the convention center and featured a marketplace showcasing small, Black-owned beauty brands. There was also an upgraded Beauty Bungalow VIP program where guests could win prizes and receive a limited-edition gift tote.
“Beauty Carnival has become one of the most coveted convention center experiences at the festival. The growing demand created a great opportunity to innovatively grow the franchise, and this year we intentionally leaned more into the title with the immersive carnival theme and added the Beauty Marketplace, along with an abundance of interactive games, activations, and photo moments to spark the ‘Black Joy,’" said Jones about the expansion.
She added that “after two years from the full live event, it was imperative that we return with the programs that our audience has grown to love and seek solace in as festival staples. Equally important was the need to expand and enhance our content aligned with the evolution of our attendees and the world we live in.”
“As a continuation, ‘In His Zone: Men’s Experience’ was the beginning of Essence’s intentionality to be more inclusive IRL with a footprint centered around men but welcoming to all," Jones said.Photo: Courtesy of Mark Stephen Experiential Agency
“We understand the ever-increasing number of men attending ESSENCE Festival seeking content to enrich their lives. During the onset of COVID-19, the Dear Black Men [summit] was virtually launched to create a platform to discuss topics that impact the lives of Black men and of their friends and family,” Jones said. “As a continuation, ‘In His Zone: Men’s Experience’ was the beginning of ESSENCE's intentionality to be more inclusive IRL with a footprint centered around men but welcoming to all.”
Last year, organizers introduced a virtual marketplace that showcased festival sponsors and Black-owned businesses. Here, visitors are transported to a virtual New Orleans marketplace with shops, along with real-life components of a festival experience including a photo booth and a parade of river boats along the Mississippi.
“We allowed guests to roam, without limitation, in a fully immersive virtual ‘metaverse’ environment, bringing them closer to a real-life 3D experience,” explained Mark S. Testa, founder and creative director of Mark Stephen Experiential Agency, when speaking on the marketplace’s evolution. “We integrated real-time weather, an immersive shopping experience, an augmented reality photo booth, and a curated playlist from Coke Studios featuring current recording artists.” The marketplace is accessible through July.
This year, festival partners included AT&T, Ford, McDonald’s, Target, The Walt Disney Company, and UnitedHealth, along with Coca-Cola, marking its 26th year as the presenting sponsor.
“The recent colliding of many societal factors has changed the landscape of events—from a pandemic and social unrest to gun reform and politics. Anticipating the audience's attendance and level of engagement has been challenged by somewhat unpredictable consumer behavior,” Jones said. “What this festival has proven is that our audience is loyal not only to ESSENCE and what we stand for, but more importantly to the invaluable and unapologetic content we deliver to serve our community.”
See more from inside the ESSENCE Festival of Culture.
